Thomas Kasuto
Saias’s Villa
7 Hours
I had been lying in my bed for the longest
time, trying to get to sleep. The bedrooms of the villa were very similar to
the hotel room I had taken Ienzo to. The bed was very soft and comfortable, and
I didn’t even have to share my room with Statuedramon. I stared up at the
ceiling. Moonlight shone in through the window, and I could clearly see
everything in the room. I closed my eyes and tried to sleep, but it was no use;
I just couldn’t get my mind off what Saias and Lector had told me about Ienzo. I can’t believe he’s dead…who could’ve done
that? I kept thinking. Who killed
Ienzo? Who— my thoughts were interrupted by the sound of a door opening. Is that the front door? I climbed out of
my bed and quietly walked downstairs to the front door to see someone leaving
the house. As I got closer, the person turned to face me.
“Is that you, Sir Thomas?” It was Saias.
“Yeah; where are you going?” I whispered back.
“There’s a small forest behind my villa.” Saias and I walked
out the front doors of his house so we could speak louder. “I always walk
around that forest whenever I have trouble sleeping.”
“It’s the middle of the night,” I said. Saias laughed.
“Yes, it is, but the moon’s light is quite intense tonight,
so I shouldn’t have any problem seeing where I’m going,” Saias said. “Would you
like to come with me?”
“Yeah; I haven’t been able to sleep either,” I replied.
Saias led me behind his large villa and into the forest. We walked in silence for a few
minutes at first.
“So, how do you like being a member of a mercenary guild?”
Saias asked.
“It’s…I don’t know how to describe it,” I said. “It’s like…I
finally have a family; I’m never alone, and I’m surrounded by all my friends on
a daily basis. It’s true that I am required to kill Humans and Digimon, and I
was a little shaken up by it at first, but after about five years or so of
doing it, I’ve gotten used to it; the only ones Statch and I kill are bandits;
cutthroats that take the belongings, and oftentimes the lives, of the innocent,
so it’s not like we’re killing people who don’t deserve to die or anything.”
“I see,” Saias said. “I suppose that’s what it must be like
to be a knight.” I looked over at him.
“Aren’t you a knight, though? You should know what it’s like
to be one,” I said.
“I only wish things were that simple…” Saias sighed.
“Though, I presume that’s what being a knight must be like through the eyes of
a child aspiring to become one, but believe me, things are never that simple…”
“How come you and Lector don’t hate us?” I asked.
“Well, that’s quite an inane question; why do you and a
small number of your guild not hate Lector and me?” Saias asked.
“Knights…they’ve always resented us…I understand why they
do, even though all we’re doing is trying to right the wrongs they’ve caused,
but…” I clenched my fists tightly. “The knights we’ve encountered before
meeting you two…they were the most terrible people we’ve ever met; they dragged
off the body of one of my allies one time; I only learned just recently that he
was still alive; they nearly killed Pheragas one time, which is how he came to
work for us at Lachesis; and I have no doubt about some of the things they’d do
to Irene or Zelda if they ever got their hands on them…I can handle all the
insults they throw at me, but when they insult or harm one of my friends, I
just…see red.”
“As I said earlier, being a knight isn’t as simple as
protecting everyone,” Saias said. “I joined the knights because I wanted to do
just that. But sometimes, you need to selfishly protect yourself in order to
achieve your goals.”
“So, why don’t you two hate us?” I asked. “People give you
requests for you to do because nobody
else will do them; requests to drive off bandits and the like.”
“A growing number of people across Arcadia are growing to
detest us knights for the abysmal work we’ve done,” Saias said. “And not just
in Valencia; this applies to knights in Valneva, Shendu, Elphierr, and Cherifia
territories as well.”
“Which is why we formed our guild, Lachesis; we steal those
requests from the knights before they have a chance to foul everything up, and
take the reward away from them, so I can understand why they hate us, so why
don’t you or Lector hate us?” I asked.
“Because I agree with what you’re all doing.” Saias looked
up at the moon. “So many knights are only knights just so as to get the reward
offered by the jobs given, caring little to none about the consequences of
their actions, or the safety of the innocents involved. That’s another reason
why I became a knight; so I could change the way they all think. If I can
become Grand Master of the knights, then I would change the way we do things. I
would turn our group into one like yours; one that cares more about the
innocents than the reward. Of course, Lector feels the same way, and he joined
for the same reasons as I.”
“A dream like that’s going to take a lot of work,” I said.
“Yes; it’ll be hard
enough becoming a Grand Master. Being a Knight Commander, I am one step away
from becoming Master, but…so are a few others…”
“…Now that I think about it…the people in the desert
province don’t have a system like yours,” I said.
“Yes…I always used to think them lucky for that,” Saias
sighed. We continued to walk for a few moments in silence, listening to the
leaves crunch beneath our feet and the trickle of a nearby stream, when Saias
suddenly stopped and drew his sword.
“What’s wrong?” I asked.
“I heard something,” Saias said. “Something big.”
“It could’ve been a Digimon,” I suggested.
“This feeling…I’ve felt it before…haven’t I? No…it’s different…”
The two of us stopped walking; I, too, heard the sound of something moving
around the treetops. I could hear my heart racing quicker and quicker as the
expression on Saias’s face grew more and more worried. “…Sir Thomas…go back to
the villa. If I am not back by morning…tell Lector. Tell him to go back to Yew.
Now, go!” Saias quickly walked away, holding his sword tightly as he looked
around the forest nervously.
“Like hell I’m leaving him alone.” I whispered to myself as
I ran after him. After running for a few minutes, I found Saias in a small
clearing in the forest, swinging his sword at the shadows provided by the
trees. “Saias!”
“Thomas! Stay back!” Saias shouted, madly swinging his blade
at whatever was in the shadows.
“You know, you fight
well…for a Human…” a voice from the shadows said.
“So, does that make you a Digimon?” Saias asked.
“I am neither, and
yet I am both at the same time.”
No way…I’ve heard that
voice before! But…whose voice was it?! C’mon, Thomas, think! I don’t remember
it being quite this…intimidating…
“Yeah, like I’d really believe something as ridiculous as
that!” Saias grunted. “Thomas, stay out of the shadows!”
“Relax; I’ve no
intention of harming the boy; you are the only one who will come to harm…Commander Saias.”
“If you think that, then you are a fool!” Saias thrusted his
sword into the shadows, and a loud, resonating sound echoed, as if something
living had been hit, and the voice that had spoken earlier screeched in pain.
“Come out of the shadows; I’d like to see the face of the one foolish enough to
think he could best me in combat.”
“Why don’t you…come
here to join me? The shadows are very inviting!” Saias swung his sword once
more, and at once I heard him gasp in shock just as a shining, golden spike
tore through his back, staining his shirt with blood.
“SAIAS!” I tried to run over to the knight, but
someone grabbed my arm from behind. “Let go, damn it!” I looked over to see who
had grabbed me and saw only a shadow wrapped around my arm. I looked over at
Saias again just in time to see a pair of glowing yellow eyes in the darkness
as whatever it was Saias had fought dragged him into the shadows.
“Thomas…” Saias coughed up a mouthful of blood. “Thomas,
listen to me…tell the others…about this…in the morning…tell them to stay away
from this forest…tell Lector to…return to the Valencian capital.” The knight
once again coughed up blood. “I’m sorry…I wasn’t able to help you out more…and
for…being unable to make my dream…a reality…” The last of Saias disappeared into
the shadows. The shadows around my arm vanished, as did what appeared to be the
shadows of the trees. I ran over to the spot Saias had been just moments ago;
not even his blood remained where it had fallen on the previously shadowed grass.
I fell to my knees.
Why? I looked up
at the moon. Why do friends keep dying?
And why isn’t there anything I can do about it?!
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